School worker faces rape charges in Dedham court

The mother of four who works as a middle school cafeteria worker now faces superior court charges of raping a 15-year-old boy at Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve parties in Weymouth.

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By Chris Burrell

The Enterprise, Brockton, MA

By Chris Burrell

Posted Mar. 19, 2014 at 6:20 PM

By Chris Burrell

Posted Mar. 19, 2014 at 6:20 PM

DEDHAM

» Social News

The mother of four who works as a middle school cafeteria worker now faces superior court charges of raping a 15-year-old boy at Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve parties in Weymouth.

Janelle Foley, 36, of Weymouth, was arraigned Wednesday afternoon in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham on four charges of rape and abuse of a child.

She pleaded not guilty to the charges as she did in January when she first appeared in Quincy District Court. Assistant District Attorney Danielle Piccarini said in January that Foley sexually assaulted the boy at holiday parties in November and January at the boy’s family’s home.

If convicted, Foley could face a life sentence in state prison, said David Traub, a spokesman for the Norfolk District Attorney’s office.

Foley, who is on unpaid administrative leave from her job at Chapman Middle School, was released after posting $5,000 cash bail, Traub said.

Superior Court Judge Raymond Brassard ordered Foley to abide by the same conditions placed on her in Quincy in January: to wear a GPS tracking bracelet; refrain from contact with the boy, his family or anyone under 18 except for her own children; and to abstain from alcohol.

Foley is scheduled to return to the Dedham court on May 2 for a pretrial conference.

Court officials in January impounded records in the case, which shields them from public view, because the case involves an alleged victim who is a minor.

In January, Foley’s defense attorney, William Sullivan of Quincy, said Foley is a lifelong Weymouth resident with no criminal record who suffers from depression and “substance issues.”

Sullivan also stressed that the allegations against Foley had nothing to do with her job as a food-service worker at Chapman Middle School in Weymouth.

Foley’s four children range in age from 7 to 15, Sullivan said.

Foley, who was hired by Weymouth schools in December 2011, was placed on unpaid administrative leave from her job just before she was arrested on Jan. 8.